Ginny slipped into the Gryffindor common room about an hour before curfew, still in her green dress. She saw Ron whispering quietly to Harry and Hermione, and was glad he had the discretion to keep his voice lowered. Or maybe not, she thought when she saw several pairs of eyes follow her across the room to the couch and chairs clustered in front of the fireplace where the trio was sitting.

"I swear it's true. Her name was CARVED into his ARM!" Ron's vehement whisper hissed its way into Ginny's ear.

"Ron," Hermione said.

"Don't 'Ron' me. I know what I saw! I was staring at his arm for about a minute!" Ron protested quietly.

"Not that." Hermione nodded towards Ginny, who was hovering behind Ron, trying to hear his low voice. Ron whipped around and when he saw his sister, he shot up and grabbed her shoulders, shaking her slightly.

"Ginny!" He pulled her into his arms. "He didn't hurt you." Ron had an angry relief in his voice. Ginny pulled out of his grasp abruptly at his words.

"Of course he didn't hurt me. He would never hurt me," she said with a mixture of exasperation and something so soft that it eluded recognition. Hermione got up, took Ginny's hand, and sat her down on the couch. Then she seated herself on the coffee table in front of the couch, creating a square of bodies. Then she spoke.

"So, it's agreed that none of us like Draco too much." Ginny opened her mouth to protest but Hermione clapped a hand over her mouth as Ron and Harry nodded forcefully.

"And you both think that Ginny's being completely daft to even think of dating him." There was more vehement nodding alongside a protest from Ginny that was cut off with a silencing spell.

"But we will let Ginny explain why it is that he has stopped making our lives hell and has been referring to us on a first name basis, and if her explanation is acceptable, then you two will not give her a hard time about anything." Ron and Harry's faces fell slightly as Hermione looked each pointedly in the eyes, focusing on Ron much longer than she had on Harry. He gulped before finally looking away.

She lifted the silencing charm on Ginny, who was looking frustrated, but as soon as Ginny started to speak, she again clapped a hand to her mouth, Ginny grunted in frustration against Hermione's hand at being cut off again.

"And I want you to pretend that Draco is not your boyfriend –" at this Ginny smiled, and Harry and Ron looked just a little miffed, "– and completely objectively look at his character." Ginny paused to think, nodded at Hermione who removed her hand, took a deep breath, and finally began.

"Draco is… he is the same person he was at the beginning of the year."Ron let out a triumphant noise, loud enough to turn a few heads. After glaring at him, Ginny continued.

"He has, however, changed the way he deals with his… problems. You three and I guess everyone he was jealous of, used to be a sort of outlet for everything he goes through. The first year you guys met, he was truly trying to emanate his father. But the next year…" Ginny trailed off, swallowed, and then started back up. "Something happened that… that changed the way he at least thought about things. He no longer hated you, but he was jealous –" Harry cut her off.

"What on earth does he have to be jealous of us about?" Ginny shot him a look that said, you dare interrupt me again and I will kill you. Harry gulped and motioned at her to continue.

"You'll have to ask him about that. As I was saying, he was jealous of you, so used you as an outlet for his emotions. Of course, when we first really bonded, which was actually that night on the tower, he stopped treating you guys so badly. It was partly for me, but also partly because we talk about everything, so that gives him a different outlet. So yeah, he's the same guy. But he also is more complete now than he was before."

Ginny could tell that Ron and Harry weren't satisfied, but it helped that Hermione already knew what was going on and was fine with it; that meant that she could put her efforts towards controlling Harry and Ron.

"Well, boys, any questions?" Hermione asked.

"Yeah… How long has this been going on?" Harry looked at Ginny.

"A little over a month. Ever since the tower." Ginny replied.

"So that's it!" Ron shouted, forgetting to keep his voice down. People looked curiously over at the group who had disturbed the quiet twice now.

"What's it, Ron?" Hermione asked after glaring away all the stares.

"She's only dating him because he saved her! Maybe he forced her into it, saying she owed him! It's all an act so he can use her for his –" Hermione was really on a roll with the cutting–people–off thing she had going.

"He is not using her. I in fact had my own little conversation with Draco about this and he is completely sincere!"

"You knew about this!?" Hermione nodded at Ron. "And you didn't tell me or Harry?"

"Harry or I, Ron, and of course I didn't, it was Ginny's decision to tell you. And now she has. Now come on, Ginny, before they kill us both." Hermione finished as Ron and Harry growled. The girls ran into Hermione's Head Girl dorm together. Once inside, Ginny asked,

"You talked to Draco?"

"No, actually, I didn't. I just wanted to shut those two up." Hermione laughed, and Ginny also started to snigger.

"Kind of backfired, didn't it?" Ginny said between her giggles, glad that she was able to laugh easily about Draco with someone other than him himself.

Outside, Harry and Ron were coming to grips with the fact that if Hermione was fine with this and would defend Draco and Ginny, there really was nothing to do. After Ron had cooled of enough to speak, he muttered,

"I hate it when she corrects my grammar."

Harry laughed at this, and Ron pretended to be mad until he joined in reluctantly. The two boys lost their already slowly deteriorating bitterness towards Draco in the mirthful aftermath of their debate over whether or not to murder the aforementioned Slytheryn.

So I updated this chapter because I acidentally left something out the first time I was typing it, so sorry about that all you people!!

Thanks for your luvverly reviews!

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